


Love Spells in the Nightless Night

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Midsummer, Mythology References, Nature Magic, Sappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 10:50:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19316674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Magnus takes Alec out on a date where Alec learns about magic and ends up thinking about their future.





	Love Spells in the Nightless Night

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Midsummer!!

Alec feels like his steps are getting lighter and lighter the closer he gets to the loft in Brooklyn. It’s just past 4pm on a Saturday, and he’s more than happy to leave the Institute behind and spend the rest of the weekend with his boyfriend.

It’s a warm day, the sun is shining from a cloudless sky while a small breeze is making it a little easier to bear. Alec briefly regrets his clothing choice - a black t-shirt and equally dark jeans don’t seem to be the most comfortable attire in this heat - but he’ll manage. It is a small relief when he steps into the air conditioned building and takes the elevator ride upstairs.

Alec has witnessed enough people to just barge into Magnus’ apartment without as much as knocking on the door that he knows he could do it too, but there’s always been a part of Alec that has considered it disrespectful. The apartment is as much Magnus’ home as it is the place where he offers his help to those in need, and an unlocked door shouldn’t be synonymous to being allowed in.

So Alec always knocks and waits for Magnus to open the door, and without a fail Magnus’ expression turns into a smile whenever he sees that it’s Alec on the other side of the door. It’s a small thing but it makes Alec feel so welcome, and he’s happy to see that just his presence is enough to make Magnus smile.

He knows the feeling, as is proved when his own lips turn to a smile as his boyfriend opens the door.

“Alexander!” Magnus greets, stepping to the side to allow Alec in. “Come on in. I’m almost ready.”

Alec does as he’s told, stepping inside and turning to Magnus as he closes the door behind him. He greets his boyfriend with a kiss because even though it hasn’t been that long since they last saw each other, he has still missed him. Magnus reciprocates the kiss but steps away before it has a chance to turn deeper.

“Let me go change my clothes and then we can go,” he says, patting Alec’s chest with one hand before turning and walking to the direction of the bedroom.

“Where are we going?” Alec asks, staying in the foyer. When Magnus answers his voice is slightly muffled by the walls.

“I’m not telling you,” Magnus says with a tone that Alec knows the matching smile for. It’s half mischief and half excitement. “It’s a surprise.”

Before he got together with Magnus, Alec could honestly say that he hated surprises. He hadn’t exactly had a good history with them and the word surprise used to cause a feeling of tread rise up in him. Now however, after a couple of months of dating Magnus, the word had earned itself a happier meaning. Magnus seemed to know Alec, and know what kind of surprises the Shadowhunter would enjoy and what would make him uncomfortable. Alec trusted Magnus, and that’s why he just rolled his eyes to the word surprise.

“At least tell me if I’m dressed accordingly,” Alec asks as he sees Magnus step out of the bedroom wearing jeans similar to Alec’s and a long sleeved shirt made of some kind of silky material, with gold embroidery and loose fit. Alec has no idea if this is Magnus dressing down or dressing to impress, all he knows is that his boyfriend looks amazing, and he says as much.

“You look beautiful,” he says, the words coming out of his mouth almost on their own. His eyes sweep over Magnus more than once, and when they settle to his face again Alec notices him smiling.

“Thank you,” Magnus says and pecks Alec on the cheek on his way past. “As do you my love, and that outfit is perfect for what I have planned for us.”

Alec watches as Magnus walks to the drawer near the door and grabs a bag from on top of it, lifting it to his shoulder so the strap is draped across his body. The bag is on the larger side, and Alec wonders what it is hiding inside.

“Should I bring a jacket?” Alec asks. He didn’t bring one with him from the Institute, but he’s positive he has left at least one of his jackets to Magnus’ loft. That seems to be the case with a lot of his clothes these days. The drawer Magnus gave him from his bedroom has quickly filled with Alec’s clothes, for it seems like Alec is spending most of his free time with Magnus and at the loft.

Alec doesn’t dare think about what it could mean.

“No, a t-shirt is fine,” Magnus says, walking to Alec and taking his hand. “I checked the weather report and it should be sunny where we’re going.”

Alec just nods, trusting Magnus’ word and returning the hold on his hand. “Are we going now?”

“Yes,” Magnus confirms and waves his free hand in a familiar motion, creating a portal that will take them to their mystery destination.

Alec has gotten more used to portal traveling, but the abrupt change from a swirling portal to the solid ground leaves him stumbling a bit on his landing. But Magnus - ever graceful even in this situation - reaches over to steady him.

“Where are we?” Alec ask, looking around himself. They are standing on a small dirt road, wide enough to fit one car. There are fields on both sides of the road, filled with some kind of grain that’s softly moving in the warm wind. There’s no one else in sight, and the only building he can see is a small red shed on the corner of a field on their right.

“In northern Finland,” Magnus says, taking Alec’s hand and starting to walk along the road. There’s a forest bit further away in front of them and it prevents Alec from seeing further. “In Lapland. To be precise in a small village just above the northern hemisphere.”

“Why did you take me here?” Alec asks, his tone curious as he keeps looking around himself.

They’ve been to countless different places on their dates. Busy cities, calm islands, remote forests. Alec never really knows what is the exact reason that makes Magnus choose a location. Sometimes it is because he wants to show Alec a classic tourist-y place, sometimes it is to bring him to a restaurant Magnus vows makes the best pasta in the world. Some places bring Alec out of his comfort zone, while some are chosen to give them a place to relax. This place seems to fit to the last category, for all Alec can hear is the sound of birds as they are flying above them and hiding in the lone birch trees on the sides of the road.

“Did you know that it is currently almost midnight local time?” Magnus asks, not answering Alec’s question but Alec is too thrown off to call him out on it.

“Midnight?” Alec asks, looking at his boyfriend and raising his eyebrows. He takes another look at the sky where the sun is shining brightly, much like it was in New York.

“Yes,” Magnus says, and Alec’s focus is shifted back to him. Magnus keeps looking forward and Alec looks at his profile while he starts explaining. “They call it a nightless night, which is a fitting wording in my opinion. It is summer solstice tonight, which means the day is the longest it is in the whole year and the night is the shortest. Somewhere, like in here, the sun doesn't set at all. I wanted to bring you here earlier but I decided to wait until tonight. While the nightless nights aren’t limited to summer solstice, tonight holds the strongest powers when it comes to magic. I assumed you wouldn’t mind it if I collected some ingredients while we’re here.”

“Of course not,” Alec says, looking at the bag Magnus had brought with him. “What kind of ingredients do you need?”

Alec loved learning about magic and could probably spend their whole date listening to Magnus while he talks about different ingredients and what they are for. He knew that Magnus was a powerful warlock with a special skill set when it came to potions, but he was still left impressed every time it was obvious how much Magnus really knew about the subject.

“Plants,” Magnus explained, letting go of Alec’s hand as he apparently spotted one he needed. “Different flowers and leaves. Don’t worry, I didn’t ask you to come with me so that you could help me hunt frogs or flies.”

Alec rolls his eyes at his boyfriend’s teasing and watches as Magnus crouches down on the side of the road. He picks up several different flowers, blue ones, yellow ones, and white ones. The flowers look beautiful and it looks like Magnus is collecting a bouquet. It’s funny to think that those flowers hold powers the mundanes can’t even imagine.

Magnus puts the flowers into his bag and they continue walking. Every once in a while Magnus leaves the road and picks up a different kind of plant or a flower.

“Midsummer is one of the oldest celebrations they have in here,” Magnus explains. “It has roots in the old religion and it’s been celebrated for centuries, but it has of course changed its shape over the years.”

“Have you celebrated it many times?” Alec asks. It’s obvious Magnus has been to this place before since they were able to portal here, and Alec wonders how many years ago that was and how often he’s been here.

“Yes and no,” Magnus answers. “Usually I like to take advantage of the powers summer solstice gives, for example by collecting ingredients. Foretelling spells are always the strongest on this night as well, but those have a habit of being more trouble than they’re worth, so I’ve rarely messed with them. But I have also been to a celebration or two in my lifetime.”

“What other magical powers does this night hold?” Alec asks, curious to learn more.

“There are a lot of old spells that are focusing on either getting a good harvest or having luck in marriage. For example the people used to think that if you were to roll around naked on a meadow that’s wet with dew, you would have luck in marriage. You could also see your future spouse if you looked into a well or a pond in the middle of the night, preferably naked.”

“Do all of these spells require nudity?” Alec asks, an affronted look on his face.

“A lot of them do,” Magnus nods and laughs a little. “ But you can also see them on a dream if you sleep with your left sock on backwards.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Alec says, shaking his head.

“Hmm,” Magnus muses. “Perhaps it doesn’t. Some of these spells are more for fun than they’re actually for achieving something. But there are more serious spells as well, traditions that are still carried on even centuries later.”

“For example?” Alec asks as Magnus lets go of his hand again to reach to the hanging branches of the birch next to the road, taking out a handful of leaves.

“A bathing whisk made of birch branches or herbs is believed to bring health to those who use it in the Midsummer sauna,” Magnus explains before his expression changes to half suggestive as he realises something. “Ooh Alexander, remind me to take you to sauna one day. Sadly we don’t have time for that tonight for I have something else planned for us.”

Magnus actually looks disappointed when he says that, and Alec has a feeling this is a thing Magnus will remember and bring up later. Alec doesn’t have time to reply before Magnus is talking about the traditions again, just like he never stopped.

“Young trees are cut down to decorate the doorways to appease the good spirits in the home,” he says as he puts the leaves into his bag and returns to Alec’s side. “It is arguable how much of that is the magic’s doing, and how much is just a coincidence, but still the traditions remain.”

“Do you have a favorite spell or tradition?” Alec asks.

“If we’re still talking about the old spells -” Magnus starts, saying the word spell with an emphasis that shows that they are quite different to the spells Magnus uses daily. “- I quite like the tradition that excessive drinking is encouraged, since the loud celebrations scare away the bad spirits.”

“Right,” Alec says and rolls his eyes. “Does it bother you? These silly things the people call spells, when the real spells are something more serious and difficult? Something that shouldn’t be made fun of.”

“Quite the opposite, actually.” Magnus says and picks up a few more flowers from the edge of the field, near a ditch that’s separating it from the forest. “I find it admirable how instead of treating magic as something to fear or hate, it is celebrated and admired.”

“ I guess that makes sense,” Alec admits, remembering Magnus’ story about how he once almost got caught and was burned at a stake. The story was told in passing, as a joke rather than a serious conversation, and to this day Alec isn’t sure if Magnus was telling the truth or if it was one of his wild stories that’s at least 50% imaginative details. He should bring it up someday.

But he doesn’t want to ruin the lovely evening - or night, should he say - with a conversation that has the potential to turn serious. He reaches for Magnus’ hand again, happy to notice that his boyfriend’s fingers have turned slightly green from all the plants he’s collected.

Alec lifts their hands to his lips and places a soft kiss to the back of Magnus’ hand.

They reach the forest and the air turns colder, the sun shadowed by tall trees. The temperature change is noticeable, but it’s not enough to make Alec miss his jacket just yet.

“Midsummer night is rumored to be the perfect opportunity to see will-o'-the-wisps floating in the forests,” Magnus speaks after a moment of peaceful silence. “It is believed that one can find a treasure from underneath one.”

“Is the rumor true?” Alec asks, curious to know if this is just one of those old myths or if this one actually holds some truth.

“It is hard to say,” Magnus muses. “No one has ever been able to prove that they’ve seen a will-o'-the-wisp, but we can’t exactly prove that they aren’t real, either. Some believe that those little fires are souls of the deceased, holding their lanterns while roaming the earth. Some believe they lure people into danger. Until we meet one, we can’t be completely sure about whether or not they exist at all.”

Alec ponders Magnus’ words for a moment until he lets out a breath that sounds oddly like a laugh. The smile on his face widens.

“What?” Magnus asks, smiling while he looks at Alec curiously.

“A Midsummer miracle,” Alec explains. “You admitted that you don’t know something.”

Magnus turns his head forward as he laughs as well, teasingly bumping his shoulder to Alec’s.

“I didn’t say that I don’t know if they are real,” he defends himself. “I simply stated that I know that their existence is arguable.”

“Right,” Alec replies and squeezes Magnus’ hand tighter, pulling him closer.

After a few more steps Magnus seems to spot something in the forest, for he lets go of Alec’s hand and walks off the road again, jumping over a shallow ditch to get to the trees.

“They say that a fern will only bloom on a Midsummer’s night,” Magnus says and kneels down to cut a few long leaves. “It’s not actually true, though. The fern doesn’t bloom, but its magic is the most potent on the night of summer solstice. Those with the sight could sometimes see it emit little bursts of magic and thus a legend was born.”

Magnus puts the leaves into his bag and hops back on the road again. He stumbles a bit when he lands, and Alec steadies him by placing both hands on Magnus’ shoulders.

“Thank you,” Magnus says with a smile, leaving a quick kiss to Alec’s lips while he’s close enough.

The kiss makes Alec smile as well.

Their hands find each other’s again as they continue their walk. It doesn’t take long before Alec can hear the sound of people talking in the distance, and judging by the amount of different tones it sounds like there’s quite a group of them in there, wherever Alec and Magnus are currently walking to.

“Where are you taking me?” Alec asks, his voice more curious than it is wary. He’s learnt not to worry, trusting Magnus to know where they are going. He knows that if he were to ask to leave, they would do it in a heartbeat, portaling home with no more questions asked. However, they’ve been to several dates like this, and Alec is yet to ask to leave.

“You’ll see,” Magnus replies simply.

As they walk further, Alec can see that the forest is ending. The dirt road widens into a small parking space that’s occupied by quite a few cars. He can’t understand a word of what they’re saying, but the sound of people gets louder, and soon Alec sees them.

They’ve arrived at a lake, but rather than seeing sand and clear water, the ground is grassy and marked by dirt paths that show where people have walked the most. There are several little docks reaching to the large lake, some of them obviously newer while some are crooked and look seconds away from collapsing. There are small boats on each little dock - rowing boats and boats with small cabins. Where there isn’t a dock, the shore is lined by reeds and water lilies.

It’s not fancy by any means, and the feeling it gives is so different to New York that it's almost overwhelming.

After taking in their surroundings, Alec pays more attention to the people around them and he notices that the shore is filled with people of all ages.

A gray headed couple is leaning to their bicycles, looking at the lake. There are several families here, with the kids running around their parents’ legs while the adults are chatting away happily.

Alec spots a couple, a young woman and a man, standing a bit away from them and his eyes linger on the dark runes he can see on their skin. Local Shadowhunters. His eyes connect with the woman and a flash of recognition is apparent on her eyes. She must see his runes, and Alec can only assume that the curious expression that takes over her face is because there’s no matching runes on Magnus’ skin. The woman can’t see that Magnus is a warlock, but she can see that he’s not a Shadowhunter either.

There’s no disgust on the woman’s face, just pure curiosity, but Alec still makes a point to tighten his grip on Magnus’ hand and to pull him closer.

It breaks his heart a little that his first instinct is to be defensive.

Magnus must notice, because he squeezes Alec hand momentarily, pecking his cheek to get his attention away from the woman that’s now continuing the conversation she was having with two other people. Alec’s grip on Magnus’ hand loosens, and he sends his boyfriend an apologetic smile which is brushed away by Magnus’ soft lips on his, perhaps the most effective way to take Alec’s attention. Alec focuses back on the people around them, ready to glare at anyone who would dare to look at them in the wrong way.

It’s not like the crowds in New York. There’s probably 30 persons max. - not a big group but enough to leave the small shore filled with people. It is obvious that most of these people know each other, at least by the name, as they greet each other with wide smiles.

Alec can see a few of them look at him and Magnus and it doesn’t surprise him. They are outsiders in the group and they must be sticking out. But the looks don’t bother him, for they are not unfriendly. Just curious.

“What’s this?” Alec asks, looking at the group of people gathered at the shore.

“Summer solstice celebrations,” Magnus says, leading Alec further along the shore, where there’s less people. They find a large rock and sit on top of it, facing the water. The rock is warmed by the sun. “They call it ‘Midsummer’ or ‘juhannus’ in their language. A lot of countries celebrate is as a celebration of the middle of summer.”

There’s a pile of wood on an islet that’s a bit away from the shore, and Alec watches as two old men hop into a rowing boat, making their way towards it. One keeps the boat steady while the other pours what must be gasoline to the pile, followed by a match that lights the bonfire aflame.

“It is to keep the bad spirits away,” Magnus says from next to Alec. His tone is quiet as if not to break the calm that has fallen over them. The sound of the group is quieter as well, as the people are focused on the fire.

Alec feels Magnus place an arm around his shoulders, and Alec’s own arm slips around Magnus’ waist. After a while the sound of the people gets louder again, but it’s simply background noise to the two men who seem to be caught in their own bubble.

Alec takes in a deep breath, the air feeling moist and smelling of smoke. His fingers stroke Magnus’ hip softly where they rest, and Alec thinks that he would be perfectly content to stay in the moment for however long they can.

It’s a new skill he’s learnt, the ability to appreciate these calm moments without feeling the need to fill them with things he thinks he should be doing. None of those things matter now, when he’s got Magnus there next to him. Not every moment they spend needs to be filled with some kind of activity, and Alec does no longer feel like he should be accomplishing things or his time would be wasted.

With how different their lives are, thoughts of time always have a heavier weight than they have in most relationships. But Alec knows that he appreciates these moments just as much as he appreciates those where they are up and about traveling the world or walking the streets of New York.

After a while Magnus digs into his bag, taking out several flowers and pieces of hay. He keeps the flowers on his hand while the other casts a spell over them. Alec looks around them quickly to make sure that no one is looking, and when he looks back at the flowers they have rearranged into a shape of a flower crown.

“Seven different flowers, tied with nine straws of hay,” Magnus explains as he reaches to place the crown on top of Alecs head.

Alec leans down to make it easier for Magnus. It’s like an instinct, even though he knows that if his siblings were to see him now they would never let him forget this. But they aren’t here, and maybe he loves the adoring look Magnus sends his way once the crown is securely on top of his head.

“The old superstition says that if you place a crown like this under your pillow on a Midsummer’s night, you’ll dream of the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with,” Magnus says, a smiling at Alec softly when he explains yet another old spell that might or might not hold any truth.

It doesn’t matter if it does, though. Not to Alec.

“I already dream of you most nights,” Alec says easily. “I don’t need magic for that.”

He knows the honesty of his words is reflected in his tone and his expression, because he sees the by now familiar emotion cross Magnus' face before his lips lift to a small smile. It's the same flash Alec sees each time he says something like this, something he knows to be true and that he somehow manages to make sound romantic.

And Alec realises then, how lucky he is to have Magnus. He doesn't need love spells or ways to predict his future, because he's already found the man he wants to marry one day.

And there, under the midnight sun, for the first time in their relationship Alec lets himself entertain the idea of a different future, where the time won’t be their enemy anymore.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? :)


End file.
